Newsletter

Here are some children- and pet-friendly Halloween events

Well, neither are three Halloween events geared mainly toward younger children - and in one instance, pets - being held on the islands during the next few days.

Here's a rundown on these kid-friendly activities:

Trunk or Treat will be staged Tuesday, which is Halloween, from 6-8 p.m. at First Baptist Church of the Islands.

During this event at the church, which is on Johnny Mercer Boulevard at Penn Waller Road on Wilmington Island, members of the congregation hand out candy from the trunks of their cars and the beds of their pickup trucks.

Fifty to 60 vehicles will be involved, said Jason Gamble, the children's pastor at the church.

They'll be decorated for the occasion and lined up around the church parking lot.

"The kids go from car to car," said Jason of the family-oriented event, which in past years has attracted more than 1,000 people.

Although the folks handing out the candy are church members, Trunk or Treat is open to the public, and it's free.

"We occupy a very prominent corner of the island," said Jason, "and we're trying to reach out to the community and let them know that, as a church, we're here for them."

The event gives kids and their parents a safe, well-lighted place in which to trick-or-treat, he said, and can serve as an alternative to going door-to-door.

The church also will provide participants with free hot dogs, soft drinks and popcorn, and there will be live entertainment and "inflatables" for children to play on - in the forms of an obstacle course, a giant slide and a moon bounce.

Friday and Saturday, the folks at Oatland Island Education Center will once again present the Halloween Hike, a quarter-mile walk through Oatland's woods that's tailored for kids who are elementary school age and younger.

During their hike on a portion of the nature trail of the center, the children meet Oatland staffers and adult volunteers costumed as forest animals representative of the fauna that lives in or once inhabited southeast Georgia.

The animals give hugs to the kids, and the animals' "companions" distribute treats and talk to the children about the critters they're encountering.

At the end of the trail, the children are taken on a hayride back to Oatland's main building, where a fossil hunt and the opportunity to participate in activities involving crafts awaits them.

Pony rides, face painting, story telling and concessions are also a part of the celebration.

The event - sponsored by Bellsouth, the Garden Club of Savannah, Comcast and the Junior League of Savannah - will run from 4-9 p.m. each night. Admission is $5 per child.

Also on Saturday, the Islands Pet Centre and the Little Blessings children's resale shop will co-host a Halloween party for pets and children at their location on Johnny Mercer Boulevard just east of Penn Waller Road.

There will be free treats, and dogs brought to the event will be have their nails clipped and ears cleaned for free.

Baked goods, lemonade and cotton candy will be sold to raise money for the Voice for Pets animal welfare organization, said Carmen Bowman, who owns the Islands Pet Centre and is president of the aforementioned group.

"It's mainly a fundraiser for Voice for Pets," she said of the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also presents an opportunity to have children and pets photographed wearing Halloween getups.

There will be a charge for the photos.

Another feature of the party at 6707 Johnny Mercer Boulevard will be pet adoptions.